Seventeen Kilos of Cheese
by AliceBridger
Summary: Marinette and Adrien gave up their Miraculouses in tears after they defeated Hawkmoth and thought they would never see Tikki or Plagg ever again. But now, years later, Adrien really hopes that Emma ordered all that cheese for Plagg because he doesn't think he could stand his little girl eating it. (Two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

Adrien Agreste wasn't poor. He never had been. He was a physics teacher and his wife a successful fashion designer that was slowly but surely rising in fame, so money wasn't the issue. Maybe he didn't have as much as he did when he was young and living off his millionaire father's money, but it's not like he needed it. He had a nice and cozy house near Marinette's parents, the smartest, most sexy and beautiful wife and three beautiful children that, sure, were driving him crazy sometimes, but all in all he couldn't be happier.

And even if he could use the money every now and then (especially when Marinette got pregnant with Emma while still in University) he wouldn't. He was too proud for that and he guessed his wife felt the same. When he and Mari discovered who Hawkmoth was, after a long and ferocious battle which they won, the police detained his father and the court sentenced him to jail, all of Gabriel Agreste's fortune was passed down to Adrien.

"No," he had said at that time. "I don't want anything of his." His voice was shaking, but Marinette's hand on his arm was the only thing keeping him together. Later on they gave their Miraculouses back to Master Fu. There were a lots of tears, but since Hawkmoth was defeated and the butterfly brooch lost somewhere in the Seine, Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't needed anymore.

It was a horrible day.

And now, fifteen years later, life seemed great. They were both happy in their ordinary lives. He gazed lovingly at Marinette, who was standing by the counter mixing cookie dough. He was sitting at the dining table, looking for something on the notebook, but for sweet life couldn't concentrate. His mind was feeling nostalgic today.

A month ago someone found the Butterfly Miraculous. The one they thought was lost forever. Suddenly _Mariposa_ appeared and Paris fell back into the habit of everyday's akumatisations. Which meant that Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses were needed again. For a second he and Mari hoped that they would be chosen again - they really missed Tikki and Plagg - but they quickly realized that it was time for someone new. And that's exactly what happened. Suddenly _Ladbug_ and _Chatonette _appeared, they worked well together and he with Mari watched nostalgically everyone of their fights.

_God, what was he supposed to be doing?_ He shook his head to clear his mind and clicked on the internet icon.

Like it was said, Adrien wasn't poor. But they also didn't have enough money to not notice when hundreds of euros were disappearing from their bank account every week. Marinette first suspected an identity theft, but people from the bank quickly disregarded that idea and told them that the payment order came from Emma's computer. From their _thirteen-year-old _Emma's computer. How she knew the password was beyond him, but he and Mari agreed they needed to talk to her about it. But first he had to find out what she bought.

_But the bank websites were always _so _confusing. _His brain whined and he couldn't say it wasn't right. After almost thirty minutes he finally managed to find what he was looking for, but he wasn't any wiser.

Because it said that Emma ordered seventeen kilos of Camembert. Seventeen _kilos!_

_Why would she order cheese?_

…

…

_Oh, of course!_

"Princess?" He called calmly to the kitchen. "Emma is Chatonette."

* * *

Marinette Agreste wasn't one of those parents that get angry easily. She could even say she was very understanding.

_But what was enough was enough!_

Because nobody endangers her little girl!

When Adrien told her the news she took them pretty well. She nodded, smiled and brought Emma a whole loaf of cheese bread but inside she was fuming. But she didn't let it show. She wasn't angry at Emma after all. No, she was actually very proud. It's not everyday that an ex-Paris-saving-superheroine learns that her daughter is a current Paris-saving-superheroine.

There was someone else she was furious with and the next day before work she knocked on the door she knew so well and didn't even wait for "Come in!" before she barged inside.

Master Fu was sitting on the pillow in the middle of the room and slowly drinking his freaking tea. "Ah, Marinette. What an unexpected…"

Marinette didn't even let him finish before she started yelling. "What the hell is wrong with you! Why did you give my daughter a Miraculous? Do you think I don't worry enough as it is?" She was standing above a sitting man and looking down at him she noticed he looked a bit surprised, even though he quickly changed his expression she saw it and realized what the surprise meant.

"You didn't know who she was? Oh my god, you didn't know! Do you even do background checks!? Or do you just put yourself in mortal danger and wait for someone to save you!? Seriously!? Because son of Hawkmoth I can understand but how you pulled off giving Emma a Miraculous without finding out she's our daughter is beyond me." Marinette was breathing quickly and her cheeks burned red from anger. Master Fu was shamelessly watching her but didn't dare to say anything. Wyazz was floating awkwardly near the wall.

Three or four calming breaths Marinette finally calmed down enough, to say the rest without yelling. Master Fu opened his mouth to say something her hand quickly stopped him. "No, don't talk! Do not say a word. If something happens to Emma, the only thing that will go out of your mouth will be your teeth." She threatened and the old man in front of her wisely kept quiet.

"Now, that's all I wanted to say." Marinette suddenly brightened and hugged him. "It's so nice to see you again, Master Fu. And Wyazz! Hi, Wyazz! I missed you." She gestured for him to join their hug and the kwami fearfully approached the bluenette, who switched back from the raging mother to the nice girl he remembered. For a few minutes they were just hugging each other, before Marinette's eyes found the clock on the wall.

"Shoot, I'm running late. Oh God, I'm so late!" Within seconds she was out of the door, yelling: "It was nice to see you!" and running towards the offices of _Patrience _where she worked as a senior designer.

Master Fu and his flying turtle were standing in the room, bewilderedly watching the door and neither of them able to speak. In the end it was Wyazz who finally broke the silence. "You know, Master. Background checks aren't such a bad idea."

Bewildered Master Fu could only nod.

* * *

Plagg the embodient of destruction wasn't lazy. He just all in all _didn't care! _Sure, he cared about all of his kittens, but as long as they were healthy and were giving him cheese why should he? It only made the parting harder in the end. It was hard enough as it was. Or maybe it was because he still missed Adrien that he didn't pay attention. Whichever it was Plagg was sure it wasn't his fault. But he was also sure, that Tikki will think the exact opposite.

Even though he still missed his last holder, he had to admit that the current one was growing on him pretty quickly. She was smart, witty and didn't talk about her crush all the time which he appreciated. Even though she did have one, she rather kept it as her little secret and didn't talk about it. She was maybe a bit clumsy but, well, nobody's perfect, right? And the whole superhero thing was helping her get more stability and not fall on her face every second minute.

Oh, right! He remembered another thing that annoyed him. She was so honorable it was painful. She was all about: being honest, saving others and giving them second chances, third chances, seventy-eighth chances,... She was an even weirder version of Adrien. So nice to everyone it hurt. But on the other hand it meant that she gave him everything he asked for and never even thought about denying him cheese, so who was he to complain?

He was just eating when he heard a loud crash from the street, some screaming and yelling "I'm Revenger I want to take revenge on everyone who wronged me." Plagg rolled his eyes. He never thought he would say this but Hawkmoth's akumas had more style than Mariposa's. He looked back to his kid and saw that Emma was standing up, ready to transform.

He gave her his best kitten eyes he could manage. "Can this wait until I eat this? This art of all things edible will get stale."

Emma raised eyebrows.

"Okay, okay," he caved in.

Emma gave him a sweet smile. He had no idea how did she manage to wrap him around her little finger but she did. "Alright," she said. "I promise, I'll give you cheese later, but for now we have to save those people. Plagg, claws out!"

The next thing Plagg knew he was in Emma's room again and she was sitting on her bed with wide eyes, watching the carpet and occasionally mumbling something along the lines "I didn't intend to. How does he even know? Why? How? What the hell?"

Contrary to the popular belief kwamis didn't remember what happened when they were transformed, so Plagg was a little lost here without the context.

"What happened with the akuma?" He asked, because this was getting a bit ridiculous.

Emma only shook her head. "I honestly have no idea…"

"Then with Ladbug?" What? Did he reject her or what? Those two were even more oblivious than Ladybug and Chat used to be.

"No…"

Plagg was getting annoyed. "Then what happened that caused you to look like… this?" He gestured towards her with his little paw.

"My dad knows." Emma whispered and without his cat ears he would never be able to hear her. "He saw me transformed in my room and called me Emma. Oh God! He called me Emma. He called Chatonette Emma!" She was panicking.

Plagg froze. This… could be a problem. Most parents weren't happy when they found out their children were crime-fighting vigilantes. Even though the way Emma described them they sounded perfect and understanding, Plagg had his doubts. After all, he never saw them. Everytime Emma interacted with them in the last month he was fast asleep in her bag. Actually he was asleep most of the time when he wasn't directly speaking to Emma or eating. _Oh, sweet life…_

His blonde holder was wheezing as the panic overtook her. He grabbed her nose (because everything else was too big for him to grab) and forced her to look at him. "Kid, tell me exactly what happened. You panicking and me not knowing a thing isn't helping anyone!"

He stared into her blue eyes for a few seconds before her chest started slowing down. The blonde girl opened her mouth several times but no voice came out, until finally: "Dad says hi."

Of all the things Plagg expected this wasn't it. He only asked: "What?"

"I transformed and was about to jump out of the window when dad opened the door. I froze and started thinking about how to get myself out of that one but he said that it's okay. Then he told me to be safe, called me Emma, told me to tell Plagg, well, you that he says hi and closed the door again. A… And then I might have fainted..." Emma's eyes widened once again. "H-how did he know it was me? And how did he know your name? I thought it was supposed to be a secret? _I_ certainly hadn't known about you before I put on the ring. Do other people usually know names of magical flying beings?"

She was panicking again, but Plagg was too busy with his own thoughts to help calm her down again. It wasn't possible. How did her father know him?

"Kid? What's your name again?"

Emma told him.

"Emma Agreste."

Agreste, Agreste,... _Agreste!_

_Shoot. He should had payed more attention. Tikki's not gonna let go of that one for at least another century._

Emma was still panicking, muttering: "I know I'm not supposed to reveal my identity but I couldn't help it and I think that my dad is trustworthy and I'm really sorry and he won't tell anyone, well, maybe mom. Oh God, dad will tell mom and she will be so worried about me she won't let me be Chatonette again and then Mariposa will win and the world will be ruled by evil and then the world will end and it will be all because of me!"

"Huh? What? Yeah, probably." Plagg wasn't listening to her, because he was too excited. _Adrien was in this house!_

"Plagg!" The blonde girl whined. "You're supposed to say: Don't worry, dad won't tell mom. You're not supposed to agree with me!"

The black cat kwami was floating in the air with a big sappy smile. "Your mother is Marinette, right?" Emma nodded, too tired to even ask how he knew the name. "Then I have no doubts he'll tell her. She's too scary when she's angry."

Emma was slowly plunging into her existential crisis again, but before she could fully despair, he grabbed her hand and pulled the confused girl towards the door. "Come on, let's meet them properly!" The kwami exclaimed happily. He couldn't stop the wide smile on his lips.

* * *

Emma Agreste wasn't used to being confused. She was the smartest in her class, the oldest one of her siblings and a superheroine. Usually she knew what was going on.

But today proved to be different.

Plagg, her parents and she were sitting at the kitchen table talking about… Who knew? She definitely didn't. Her parents had goofy smiles on their cheeks and for some weird reason Plagg, who was mostly just scowling or singing odes to Camembert, did too.

They should be mad at her, shouldn't they? The easy answer was yes. But they didn't look angry. Maybe they were just hiding it, so, she would get a chance to explain everything and only _then_ they would ground her until the end of this decade. _They were so understanding! That's_ how much of a good parents they were! She loved them!

"Maman? Dad? I'm sorry, I didn't tell you, it's just… I couldn't. If you knew, Mariposa would go after you and…" She looked bashfully to the floor and her parents exchanged an understanding glance. "I know you're worried about me, but please! I have got to do this! I can't let Ladbug do this alone. I gotta help him! You can't take Plagg away."

Her mom reached out with her hand towards her. "Kitten, we understand…"

Emma quickly drew her hand back away from her mom's. "No! No, you don't because I have to do what I'm doing. Noone else can!"

"She's worse than you. Deaf and stubborn." Plagg uttered towards dad.

"Shut up!" He retorted.

But Emma was in panic mode right now and nothing could stop her. "I get that you're angry but I promise I'm not neglecting my school work and I make up for any missed lessons, not that I miss a lot of them. Not at all! Only like once, I swear! And you can punish me but I have to do this..." Finally she took a good look at her beaming parents and Plagg, who was trying and failing not to start laughing, yet occasional snickers were heard here and there. "You're… You're not angry?"

This time it was dad who answered. "We understand. We're proud of you. We've known for a while that you're Chatonette."

Emma got misty eyed that very second. "B-But how?"

Her dad grinned. "Well, we noticed that a lot of money disappeared from our bank account and we wanted to talk to you about it, but when I saw that it was an order of Camembert I immediately knew…" he gave Plagg a sligtly evil eye as the kwami whistled innocently. "Because there is only one being in the galaxy who can eat that much of a smelly cheese."

"Hey, Camembert is a food of gods! My ambrosia! My nectar! My reason to live!"

"Sure, it is."

"Yes! But you wouldn't know…"

Since this whole banter between her dad and her kwami was confusing her even more (_How did they know each other? HOW DID THEY KNOW EACH OTHER?_) she turned to her mom. "You're not angry?" She asked again to make sure.

Her mom gave her a kand smile. "Of course not, kitten. It's true that I'm worried about you, I love you. It's impossible not to worry. But I can't be angry at you because you stood your ground and helped protect the innocents."

Emma noticed that her dad and her kwami stopped their argument about tastiness of the cheese and were watching the girls expectantly. Her mom grabbed her hand and brought it closer to herself. "We love you. And we couldn't be more proud." Emma smiled. Her parents were even better than she thought.

"Plus I already yelled at Master Fu for that, so, I see no reason why to yell at you too." Marinette added and ignored her daughter's confused gaze (_Oh, she probably didn't know the Guardian yet!_). Adrien's eyes widened in shock and Plagg started another laughing fit. She almost felt sorry for poor puzzled Emma.

This must had been definitely a very confusing afternoon for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okayyy... I have no idea what happened but here is the second part. I intended for this to be just a one-shot but I got inspired. You guys are amazing!**

**Since this is a fanfiction the story doesn't belong to me. Only the plot and some characters. I'm sure you're all smart enough to know that without me saying it.**

* * *

Sebastien had enough on his plate as it was, he didn't need other responsibilities. Yet, nobody asked him about that before the little black box appeared on his bedside table and the little black-dotted kwami turned his life upside down. Now world-saving was added to his list of things-to-do-before-bed.

Don't take this the wrong way! He loved helping people and running wild across Paris with Chatonette (even though she could tune down the puns a little), but those annoying akumas were ruining his everyday life. Every time someone appeared he had to stop doing whatever he was doing and run towards the danger. Whether it was an outing with friends, family dinner or a big exam, it didn't matter. The lives of citizens were more important. He knew that. He just wanted everyone else to understand.

He had to pretend that he went to the bathroom to leave the class but this akuma took so freaking long to defeat that he would need a doctor's note saying he had fecal incontinence so the teacher would let it pass. Unfortunately, he didn't have one and he had no idea how he was going to explain today's absence to not only his teachers but his mom. He shivered. He loved her but, boy, she could be scary when she wanted to.

"Miraculous Ladbug!" He threw the polka-dotted collar (Those Lucky Charms were even more random than answers on his math quiz.) into the air and as pink butterflies were repairing the city, he heard a silent snicker from the black-clad superheroine behind him. He turned to her and raised his eyebrow challengingly. "What?"

"Nothing." The innocent smile she put on looked weird on her face.

"You're laughing."

"Am not."

Now he raised both eyebrows.

"All right, maybe I am." She conceded and he smirked. "It's just that it's funny. You saying Ladbug instead of Ladybug, I mean. My best friend and her mom are like the biggest Ladybug fans and they made me watch old recordings of Ladybug and Chat Noir every time I was over at their house since I was like three. I'm so accustomed to hearing _Miraculous Ladybug_ that If I were you, I would keep saying the wrong words." She laughed lightly and Sebastien tried to ignore how his heart jumped up upon hearing it.

He gave her a kind smile. "Yeah. I know what you mean. My mom is _obsessed _with all things superhero-y. And my sister is even worse. She always runs into the danger to watch us fight. I wonder what she would think if she knew it was her annoying little brother she adores." He chuckled at the thought. Monique, his twin sister (who was older only by _two_ minutes!), would probably have a heart attack. Just yesterday he caught Mon and her bestie Emma eyeing Ladbugs picture. It was a bit disturbing if he was honest but she couldn't know and he wouldn't hold it against her however annoying his sister was at times. "Well, those two made me watch old recordings, too. And when we started I had basically the same problem you described."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

He laughed and his cheeks turned a slightly reddish color. "Yeah, the first week was all about remembering that I was Ladbug not Ladybug and reminding myself that if I say Ladybug, then the media might start doubting my sexual orientation and actual gender."

At this point, Chatonette burst out laughing.

"Yes, laugh at my problems," he pouted but he didn't have time to ponder about it when their miraculouses simultaneously gave a long beep. They only looked at each other before they quickly bounced in opposite directions away from the fight.

Sebastien had barely enough time to hide in the small alley nearby. His transformation wore down and he was left with his blue hoodie and a nice floating kwami.

"This akuma took so long! There's not a point in returning to school," he complained to his little flying friend.

Tikki smiled kindly. "It's okay. At least Paris is safe. I'm proud of you for making innocents your priority!" She patted down his shoulder.

"I left my bag at school!" Sebastien remembered horrified. "But it ended for the day. What am I going to do?"

"You can pick it up tomorrow, you didn't have any homework, except the project and you don't need your book for that." The little kwami comforted.

He sighed. "Yes, Tikki. You're right. There's no point in stressing myself over that." He leaned his head towards her. "I don't know what I would do without you."

She giggled. "You would be just fine!"

Since there was no point in returning to school, he strode towards his house. When he got to the door, he didn't even have time to find keys, before his sister came running towards him.

"Seb, you're in trouble," she reported as soon as she saw him. "M. Bureau wasn't very happy when you didn't return."

He closed his eyes. "Great!" He uttered sarcastically. "But I can bet that you left too! You had to record the fight. Why is he angry only at me?"

Monique straightened to look important. "Well, my little brother…"

"We're twins! We're basically the same age!"

"I'm older!"

"Physically maybe! Mentally? Not so much!" Seb retorted.

"Girls mature sooner than boys, Seb!"

"Well then, you finally found physical proof that you're unique." He smirked at the brunette in front of him and she only glared back. "I thought you'd never find any."

She folded her hands and quickly changed the topic. "Well, as I was saying, _little brother_, I did leave but when I saw the fight was taking too long I came back to school _\- like the responsible student I am! -_ and recorded after school!" She raised her voice as if she was reprehending a disobedient dog and he huffed to himself. "Besides the teacher knows, that as long as I do my assignments and don't have any problems, mom will write me a note saying I was sick or something."

"And your best friend Emma keeps missing class almost every day, too!" he complained.

"She has some emergencies at home." I raised my eyebrow. This was really her excuse? "Besides it doesn't matter as long as her parents know and are covering for her. Our parents, on the other hand, have no idea where you are most of the time."

"I'm at the scene watching Ladbug and Chatonette fight! They are so cool!" He tried to sound like a fan.

"Right, and I've never seen you there, because…"

"Because I'm watching everything from the safe distance. Unlike you, who stand in the front row and wait for the evil guys to kill you." He struck back. Even though she was driving him mad all the time, he loved her and hated that she was endangering herself so often. Even if he couldn't do anything about it (she was stubborn and he never managed to convince her once she made up her mind) he could at least nag her about it until the end of time.

He heard Monique mutter something along the lines: "Why am I trying?" before she reached for the knob and opened the door.

* * *

Alya Lahiffe loved her children. Unconditionally and endlessly. But when she got a call today from their school saying they both left the school in the middle of the day and Sebastien didn't even bother returning, that unconditional love subsided to make a place for anger. A lot of place.

She was scared in the beginning. _What if he fell into some hole and can't get out? What if someone kidnapped him?_ Those usual fears of every mother, but they were quickly replaced by fury when she heard her children's voices from behind the door.

Nino, who was until now at her side, reassuring her that her kids _were not somewhere in a hole_, stood up. "I'll make dinner, ok?"

She nodded numbly and simply glared at the door, which was opening slowly. Monique pushed her head inside and looked around before her gaze settled on Alya. "Mom?"

"Yes?" She asked calmly which surprised even herself. Her daughter was awkwardly standing on the porch as if she didn't know what to do. "Come on in," Alya prompted and her children slowly entered the living room. She started. "Hi. I hope you had a wonderful day. How was school?" She saw how they both visibly flinched.

"Mom,..." the girl started but Alya cut her off.

"Moni, Emma came a minute ago and she's waiting for you in your room. Go. But don't think that we won't be having a talk later."

Mon quickly nodded and sauntered off.

Only then she turned her attention to Sebastien. He was looking at the floor guiltily. She had no idea what made him act like this in the last two months. He was always the responsible one of the two. While Mon happily plunged into danger, consequences be damned, Seb usually actually thought everything through. When others didn't know what to do, it was he who usually came up with some creative solutions to help everyone.

"Sebastien Lahiffe!" she yelled and it may have come out harsher than she intended. "What is it I hear about you skipping school?" He bit his lip.

"Mon misses the class to record the akumas often, too!" He pointed out.

From the stairs, we heard a yell. "Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Seb!"

"You're welcome!" He yelled back.

"Monique, stop eavesdropping and go to Emma!" Alya heard steps and a loud bang of the door, as Mon closed it behind her, but it was only after she heard a silent chatting of the girls that she continued. "This isn't about Mon. This is about you. Your teacher called me, you've missed ten lessons in the last month, not counting all those times you were late. So, I'm asking why?"

"I… was looking at Ladbug and Chatonette?" he asked.

Alya nodded, her arms were folded on her chest. "Are you asking or telling?"

"Telling?" he asked again, shuffling his feet nervously and staring at the floor.

"Alright, then. Let's try this with a little less lying." She motioned towards the couch and her son slowly sat down. "Where were you, what were you doing and why did you think it was more important than school?"

He didn't respond this time, only looked at folded hands in his lap.

Since she hadn't gotten an answer she continued: "Because school is there to ensure a better future for you, you know? With a good education, you'll get the job you want. And anything. You were always the responsible one. I just want to know what happened." Alya's eyes observed the boy next to her as he hung his head even lower than before.

Five heartbeats later, she realized he wasn't going to magically start talking. "Fine then, if that's what you want. You're grounded for a month."

Sebastien gaped at her. "B-But, mom…"

"I mean it, Seb. No phone, no Internet, no TV. You will only go to school, where you will stay for _all the_ lessons, and then come straight home. No friends, no hobbies. _Straight home!_"

The brunette boy finally overcame the dumbfounded state he was in. "Mom that's not fair! You don't know…" he stopped himself.

"I don't know what?" she asked cautiously.

He looked angry but seemed to be restraining himself. "You're not grounding Mon every time she runs off to film akumas! She endangers herself practically every day and you don't punish her for that. Why?" Any restraint he had flew out of the window. "Because she's your golden girl, that's why! She took over Ladyblog after you and every time she misses class it's because of that stupid fangirling site!"

"Sebastien Lahiffe stop right now!" Alya spoke quietly but with an evident threat in her voice. "I'm not grounding you for missing class. I'm disappointed in you, that's true but it's not the reason. I'm grounding you, because half the time you don't even bother to tell us where you are, because you're irresponsible and you could be lying somewhere in a hole and we would have no idea, because our son doesn't seem to bother to tell us what was oh-so-important that he couldn't be bothered to show up for school!" Okay, okay. She may had screamed that last part a bit but otherwise stayed completely calm and tried to explain everything to him. "And don't you think that Mon is getting a free pass for everything. Out of you two, it was you who was always responsible. Who we could rely on. Me and your dad. What happened to you to make you act this way?" She noticed that Nino came back from the kitchen and sat down next to her. His wordless support was exactly what she needed right now. She looked

_Her son looked… hurt._ Alya noted. He opened his mouth a few times but no sound came out. "Okay, I'm sorry. But, mom, dad, you can't ground me!"

"Actually, we can, young mister." Nino backed her up. She was grateful to him.

Seb didn't seem to notice as ze was plunging deeper and deeper into his panic. "No! You don't understand I… Tikki!" he yelled as a red blur flew out of his pocket and floated in the air between the three of them.

Everyone froze. Whether from fear or a shock she had no idea.

"You can't ground him because of me!" The ladybug kwami said resolutely and both their jaws fell to the floor.

* * *

Nino considered himself a very calm person. He respected everyone's opinion and even when he disagreed he didn't see the point in arguing about it. So, he usually stayed silent and just watched and listened to everything. That actually made him more aware of all those things that others missed. Well, most of them. Fifteen years ago when Adrien and Marinette revealed to him and Alya they were Ladybug and Chat Noir it came as a huge shock to him just like Alya. But everything else.

He got really good at reading body language and was proud of himself for that. Keeping quiet and just watching everyone could have its perks.

All in all, he usually knew what was going on and not many things shocked him anymore.

Until now.

He was struck speechless as the red flying being that was obviously a kwami soared over their coffee table and towards them. Alya, on the other hand, whispered under her breath: "That makes so much sense…" but aloud she said only: "Alright then."

"W-What?" Seb asked, confused by her answer.

"No punishment. You're not grounded, you can use your phone and we'll excuse you from the missed classes." Alya specified and Nino nodded.

Their son was baffled. "But… I… Just like that?"

This time it was Nino, who answered him. "We're proud of you. How could we not be?"

"Thank you," the little flying bug with three black spots chirped in and gave them a kind smile that they warmly returned.

As if Sebastien finally realized the kwami was still in front of them he started explaining. "Mom, that's not what you think it is! This is… a cat! A very rare… cat… from the… kingdom of Achu! And she talks because… because she's been modified in the best labs of the world by… geniuses, who… can make cats talk!" Nino stared at him. With all the stammering he had no idea what his son just said.

Alya apparently understood (after her friendship with Marinette she was used to all kinds of stutter). "Honey, don't worry about it. Go upstairs and rest - you must be exhausted after the day you had - we'll talk with your friend for a while." She smiled kindly. "This is why you've been so bent on Mon not continuing the Ladyblog. You've been worried about her." She paused and Nino chipped in.

"We couldn't be more proud. Now, let us talk to your friend, okay?"

Seb opened his mouth to say more but an enthusiastic nod from Tikki stopped him. "So, I just… go upstairs?" he asked, confusion basically dripping from his voice. Without another word, he turned around and almost mechanically left the room. His head turned back at them several times before he was out of their sight. Then they heard slow steps on the staircase and a loud bang of the door.

Nino almost felt sorry for him. _He was so muddled._ He was about to go after him when the ladybug (or ladbug) kwami cheerfully said: "I'm so happy to see you!"

"You're… Tikki, right?" Alya remembered.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. And you're Alya and Nino."

Nino's eyebrows shot up. "Mari, told you about us?"

The little Kwami fluttered in front of them. "Come _on_! I spent years hiding in her purse. Did you really think I wouldn't notice you out of all those billions of times you talked with her?"

"Well, based on what Adrien told me, Plagg wouldn't." Nino pointed out.

Tikki gave him her best facepalm she could muster. "I'm not Plagg."

His wife suddenly became serious. "Tikki? Do you… Do you think he hates me? Seb? Because I blamed him when he did everything right?" Nino quickly put his arm around her.

"Of course not!" Tikki cried out. "He loves you both and he couldn't ever hate you. I'm sure he understands. He doesn't blame you, trust me."

Alya nodded but kept staring at the floor. He hated seeing her like that. He needed to change the topic. "How are Trixx and Wyazz?" he wondered and was happy when he saw his wife perk up a little.

"They were good last time I saw them. Wyazz is still with Master Fu, but I haven't seen him since Seb received the earrings." _Oh, God! His son was wearing earrings! He _was _wondering why Seb started borrowing his old headphones and wearing them non-stop. _"I haven't told him about the Guardian yet. He should get more accustomed to his powers before I do, though. I guess I won't see others for a while yet." She shrugged her mini shoulders. "But I think they're fine. Trixx was planning a prank on Kaalki, I'm sure she already pulled it off. And they both said they miss you terribly."

Alya and Nino looked at each other lovingly. "We miss them, too," Nino stated, "but we wouldn't change this for everything." Then he smirked. "Even though the twin's teacher calls us nearly every other day to complain about their inappropriate behavior or whatever. Being Carapace was never that perfect."

Tikki cast a look at the ceiling. "Aren't you at least a little concerned that Seb might overhear you?" Tikki asked in a low voice. "He might be listening in on us right now. We freaked him out a bit."

Alya shrugged. "He's too busy forcing Monique not to listen in on us to listen in on us."

Nino gave her a nod and wiggled his eyebrow. "Yes. We have a _lot_ of time to talk. So… tell us everything." Tikki laughed and they didn't stop for a long time that afternoon.

* * *

Monique had no idea what was going on today. She was banned to use a phone for a week because apparently, the teacher called her parents not only about Seb missing school but about her too (_Shoot!_) but for some reason she was the only one to receive punishment. Although her mom _did_ seem cross with Seb when they came home yesterday, they only talked for a minute (unfortunately too quietly for her to hear anything) before they sent him all baffled upstairs and informed her that she's about to let down hundreds of hundreds of thousands of readers of her Ladyblog because she won't be able to use her phone to record footage.

A week without a phone! A _whole_ _week_, while her brother didn't get more than a mere scolding. She loved her brother and was happy that he didn't get into any trouble, but this was simply _unfair!_

_She _was doing hard work for her blog (Yes, it was hers even though she inherited it after her mom when Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses appeared again. It was hers!). _He _was just avoiding school. They were in a completely different situation!

But she had to admit her brother was even more flabbergasted about it than her. Even though he acted as if everything was okay (well, after the initial shock settled in, anyway) she _knew_ him. He kept muttering something and she could swear she heard a few "What the hell?"s and "What are they talking about?"s.

Their parents weren't any help either. After they took away her phone they sat down on the couch in their living room and chatted until morning. She didn't know what was so interesting to keep them awake, but she would swear she heard a strange high-pitched voice laughing with them. They refused to talk about it tomorrow and she was practically boiling with curiosity.

The next few days were spent basically the same. In the evening their parents sent them to their room, tucked them in and then spent almost three hours everyday talking with that high-pitched stranger. She wanted to know who it was but Seb always prevented her from peeking. If she didn't know him she would think he was keeping something from her. However, she did know him and her brother was _horrible _at keeping secrets. Much less lying about it. He was weird sometimes but never a liar.

Even though this thing about late-night talks which her parents absolutely insisted never happened (As if! She's more likely to believe there weren't any actual aliens at Roswell than that), it quickly became a normal occurrence and questioned it less and less each day. Seb was still a bit agitated about… whatever it is her brother was agitated about, but otherwise, nothing seemed to be out of ordinary.

"Our parents are weird," she told Sebastien.

He gave her the most serious look she's ever seen on him and replied: "Tell me about it."

A week later she finally got back her phone. Her parents warned her to be careful from now on but that was just a saying, right? She decided it was one indeed as she was wobbling on the ledge of one of the highest houses around and happily recording Ladbug and Chatonette as they were sitting on the rooftop nearby, not noticing her as she listened in on their private conversation.

_Stop it! _Her mind whispered. _This what you're doing is called stalking and it's illegal in most European countries!_

She quickly argued with her brain soundlessly that it's not stalking if she's videotaping them while they're on a public rooftop and if she's doing it simply because she wishes to be a reporter like her mom and her mind stopped.

The argument quickly forgotten, she climbed up towards the eave and held onto it to secure herself, her other hand tightly gripping the camera. Finally, she found a steady (and less deadly) stance and could concentrate on the conversation.

Ladbug and Chatonette were on their daily patrol but rather than actually patrolling, the liked sitting on this very rooftop and just watching the stars. Monique found about this fact a month ago and has been watching them and taking photos of them here ever since. True, she had never climbed the neighboring house before, but she had been here quite a few times. She knew that this was the place for them to talk openly (well, as much as you can without the other figuring out who you are) and since she was way behind after that week without the phone she _needed _some scoop.

The two superheroes were quiet for a minute before Chatonette broke the silence. "So, you know how you keep insisting that we can't reveal our identities to keep Mariposa from ever finding out and targeting our families?"

Ladbug carefully nodded. "Yes," he answered slowly.

Chatonette smiled timidly, her blonde hair shining in the dark of the night. "Yeah, well… Something's been _bugging _me lately..." The red-spotted hero rolled his eyes. "My parents may have found out." Chatonette blurted out quickly.

"Did you tell them deliberately?" Ladbug asked her calmly.

"No!" The cat superheroine shook her head. "No. They just told me they knew. But I would trust them with my life. Really." Ladbug nodded slightly and Chatonette furrowed her brow. "Wait… You're not angry?"

"Why would I be? Besides a similar thing happened to me."

Chatonette only managed to sputter and gape at her partner.

"They found out and suddenly they are all so cool. I mean they were cool before, but now they are both so understanding!"

Chatonette found herself nodding to him. "Oh, my God, exactly! And they are suddenly the bestest of friends with my kwami! It's unbelievable!"

"I know, right? I swear Tikki spends _so_ much time with them. I think it's even more than _I_ do!"

"And Plagg keeps asking for my grandpa's cheese bread. How does he even know how my grandpa's cheese bread tastes like?" She asked rhetorically. "How does he even know my grandpa _makes _cheese bread?"

Ladbug shook his head as he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. "Our parents are weird."

The black-clad superheroine gave him the most serious look she could muster in that second. "Tell me about it."

They changed the topic but there was still that light playfulness twinkling in their eyes. Chatonette was uttering awful puns and Ladbug was complaining and asking why is it that she wasn't that annoying a second ago ("Oh, right because you haven't said that many puns by that time!") but Monique decided she had enough to upload today. She had no idea what they were talking about but now she had at least a material to polemize about in her future posts.

Now there was only one problem.

_How the hell was she going to get down from here?_

"Uh, hello?" she yelled towards the heroes of Paris. Their heads shot up towards the source of her voice. They were still little teary-eyed from all the laughing but there was also a bit of a shock at the realization she has been here the entire time. "Can you help me down? Please? Somehow?"


End file.
